Subsidiary furnace for steam-boilers.



Patented Dec. 25, I900.

W. J. BALDWIN. SUBSIDIARY FURNACE FOR STEAM BOILERS.

(Application filed July 2, 1900.!

(No Model.)

emcsw tuition.

"newes "n'itniew WILLIAM Jlentnwin, on new Yemen. Y.

erncimca rrom forming part'of Letters Patent No. 664.616, dated December 25. 1900.

Application filed J'nly 2, 1900.

Boilers, of which the following is a specifice;

tiou.

This invention relates to subsidiary furnaces for steam-boilers, by which I mean furnaces provided with ac'ombustion-chamber entirely separate from and independent of the combustion-chamber of the main boilerfurnace, but which is so connected with the flame passages or chambers of the letter that its flames or hot products of cornbustioulcau be employed to heat a boiler or any one or more of the boilers of a battery whendesired and without interfering with or injuring the fire on the grates of the said main boiler-furnace. great importance in connection with the steaiuplantsof many modern businesses as a means of disposing of refuse material and economizing fuel. For instance, in the great department stores there is daily a consider able accumulation of refuse paper and wooden boxes and scraps, which up to the present time has caused much trouble and expense in disposing of it. It has hitherto been unavailable as fuel, because, first,- it cannot be burned in the main boiler-furnaces which are adepted for coal without destroying the coal fire,

and, second, thesupply of this refuse material is not constant. There may be at some times too much and at other times not enough to maintain the fire if it alone is reliedom; Gonsequently the main furnaces cannot be built for such refuse alone, for if they were there would be times when the hire could not be maintained for want of fuel. It is therefore necessary to keep the main fire with doors and dampers closed while the refuse fuel is burning, but in readiness for heating the boilers Whenever the refuse-fuel fire is unavailable. Finally, even where there is a considerable and relatively constant supply of refuse material there may'yet be too little to alone maintainthe boiler-lire. Where this is the case with present boiler plants, the whole of the refuse material is wasted, because, as

Such a subsidiary furnace willbe of Serial No. 22,277; on inodeLl above stated, it cannot be burned in the main furnace without destroying the coal fire; but my in vention overcomes these difficulties and enables all therefuse material whether much or little to be burned .andso much of its heat value as may be desired to be availed of for heating the boilers, for this invention provides a subsidiary furnace suitable for the refuse fuel in which that fuel can, be so perfectly consumed that almost no smoke. in

produced and that furnace connected with the flame space or passages of the main fun nace, so that the flames and hot products of combustion of the subsidiary furnace enter said space or passages and heat the boilers withoutinjuriug or interfering with the fires in the. mainfurnace, which main furnace is operated and controlled as readily asin the present plants.

Referring to the draw ngs which accom pany this spe'cilication to aid the description, Figure l is a horizontal section on line 1 I of Fig. 2, but with the fronts omitted and showing the subsidiary furnace combined with the furnaces of three horizontal tubular boilers. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the-line 2 2 of Fig. l, but showing the boilers in full. Fig.

3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Referring to the drawings, A is the brickwork of the main furnaces, BB the boilers and O the subsidiary furnace. Said subsidiary furnace C is provided with any suitable door I), which is shown as a hopper that receives the refuse fuel and dumps it into the combustion-chamber of furnace C. c is the bridge-wall, and e e are any suitable grates of said subsidiary furnace. The flame chamher or passage behind bridgewall o is con nected with a duct or passage d, which is in turn connected with the flamespace 0c pas- Js age oteach of the main furnaces by openings 7 means, as the dampers g, said dampers g being operated by rods and handles that pass out of the rear furnace-wall, as shown. convenient mode of constructing said duct 01 is to carry it out through the bridge-wall c of the'mainfurnaces, there being, in fact, one 10115 bridge-wall extending under all the three boilers (seen in Figs. 1 and 2) and the openingsf being made through the top of said bridge-wall, as seen in Fig. 3.

which are preferably controlled by suitable In the drawings the dampers g of the first and third furnaces are shown open and of the middle furnace closed. y

In operation a low fire will be kept on the grates of the main furnaces of the boilers which are in use, so as to be ready for any emergency; but the principal source for heating the boilers and making" steam will be the refuse fuel in the subsidiary furnace O. This furnace being-constructed of suitable refractory and non-conducting materials, as firebrick, and being separate and independent from the main furnace, very perfect combustion can be obtained in it and almost complete combustion of smoke. The flames and hot products of combustion pass over the bridge-wall c, then down to the duct d, and thence to the flame-passages of the several furnaces, the passage of the flames and products of combustion being controlled by the dampers g. If at any time the supply of refuse fuel runs short or for any cause the subsidiary furn ace cannot be used,the main fires are brightened up and used to make steam.

Now, having described my improvements, I claim as my invention 1. The combination of amain steam-boiler furnace provided with a bridge-Wall and a flame-space, a subsidiary furnace for refuse fuels, a fine behind said bridge-Wall and opmain furnace behind the refuse fuels,

eratively con necting, said subsidiary furnace with said flame-space, and means forcontrolling the connection between said flue and said flame-space, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a battery of boilers and main furnaces provided with flamespaces and bridge-walls, of a subsidiary furnace, a flue operatively connecting said subsidiary furnace with the flame-spaces of each bridge-wall thereof, and independently-shiftable dampers adapted to control the connection of said flue with each of said fiame-spaces,substantially as described.

3. The combination of a main steam-boiler furnace provided with a hollow bridge-wall and a flame-space, a subi'diary-fuiihace for a flame-passagzeleadin gfrom the subsidiary furnace to the hollo'w bridge-wall, an opening connecting said hollow bridge= Wall with the said main furnace, and means for controlling said opening, substantially as described.

Signed at New York city, New York, this 27th day of June, 1900.

WILLIAMv J. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

BERNARD J. IsEoKE, HENRY V. BROWN. 

